The Letter Reader by Jan Casey

 The Letter Reader

Book Summary

She read their secrets during the war. Now she cannot forget them...

1941. London. Keen to do her bit in the war, Connie Allinson joins the WRNS and is posted as a letter censor. Her task: to read and alter correspondence to ensure no sensitive information crosses enemy lines. At first, she is not sure she's up to it, but is soon drawn in by the letters she reads, and their secrets...

1967. Doncaster.

 Bored of her domestic life, Connie desperately wants a job, but her controlling husband Arthur won't hear of it. Looking for an escape and plagued by memories of letters she read during the war, she makes a bid for freedom and starts secretly tracking down their authors. Will uncovering their past give Connie the key to her present? And will she be able to find them all before Arthur discovers what she is keeping from him?

My Thoughts

The Letter Reader by Jan Casey is a dual timeline novel.  The novel takes readers between 1941 (through the war years) and 1967.  I decided to read this book despite my ban on books from World War II (there has been a glut of books on this topic, and I needed a respite) because I had not read a book about postal censors.  Connie Allinson joins the WRNS in 1941 and is posted as a letter censor (her husband wanted her to do something safe).  For those who are nosy, it would be the perfect occupation (as well as those who are curious).  It would be exciting to find a letter written in code.  I had no idea that some postal censors traveled around from post office to post office to complete their duties.  The war years part of the story was interesting, but I did not enjoy the 1967 portion.  It was boring and repetitive.  Connie is a housewife whose husband likes a strict routine.  He wants chores done on a certain day of the week, he has a meal schedule, and he gives Connie the bare minimum for housekeeping (aka the household budget).  Connie is bored staying at home and wants to get a job.  

I do not understand why she asked her husband’s permission to get a job (it was not needed).  I would have gotten a job and then told him about it (fait accompli).  Connie finds her thoughts consumed by certain letters that she read during the war.  She wonders what happened to the people who wrote the letters.  When Arthur, her husband, suggests Connie visit London every two months for three days (he is so generous) to catch up with her brother and sister-in-law, Connie jumps at the chance.  It will give Connie the opportunity to do some research at Somerset House.  I did find it odd that she would venture to find information on people who wrote letters.  

Connie signed the Official Secrets Act plus many people do not like “knowing” (there is knowing that your letter could be read and having someone show up saying they read your letter) that someone read their personal correspondence (much less remembered it twenty years after the war).    I found the story to be long with mixed pacing.  While the war year chapters flew by, the other chapters did not.  I did not find the ending satisfying.  The Letter Reader is a historical tale with a rough war, censored letters, a repetitive routine, a humdrum husband, and facing the future.

The Letter Reader is available from Amazon*.  You can read The Letter Reader for free if you are a Kindle Unlimited member.  You can find Jan Casey's other novels here.  Thank you for stopping by today.  I am taking next week off to get some work done around the house.  I have managed to carve out a small block of time to get a small list of items done (hopefully).  If I can get the living/dining area finished, I will be very happy (the last person I hired to paint finished the ceiling and never returned).  Wish me luck! I will return on Tuesday, May 23 with Blueberry Blunder by Amanda Flower.  It is the 8th An Amish Candy Shop Mystery.  It is a cute story that will have you chuckling often.  I hope that you have a lovely Mother's Day.  I am cooking dinner for my mother (she does not want to go out which was my choice) and I have a few gifts for her (one of them is Vera Bradley's Ohio State crossbody bag).  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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